Derek Whitefield
- Role
- Senior Partner at Dykema
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Derek Whitefield
Trial lawyer and member of Dykema law firm executive management team.
Experience
Senior Partner
Jan 2003 — Present
My practice is focused on the defense of automotive product liability and class action crash safety litigation. I served two terms as an elected member of the Executive Board of the Dykema law firm and before that headed the firm\'s Automotive and Product Liability Litigation Practice Group.I started my career with Dykema in Michigan in 1985, served on the GM Legal Staff between 1988 and 1993, and then relocated to Los Angeles and joined the Grace law firm as a partner. In 2001, I founded the LA office of premier trial boutique Feeney Kellett and then founded Dykema\'s LA office in 2003. Experience- First and second chair trial counsel of high exposure product liability cases throughout the U.S- Field-leading expertise in the defense of cases involving airbag technology- Extensive knowledge and experience in automotive crash safety- Successful defense of many hundreds of cases- Experience defending cases involving all aspects of motor vehicles, lift trucks, power tools, home appliances, and other industrial and consumer products- Provide advice concerning vehicle data recording, data privacy, driver distraction, and product liability avoidance, including design review and development of warnings, manuals and brochures- Experience handling class action, unfair trade practice, environmental, commercial, automotive finance and insurance litigation- Represent companies such as Delphi, GM, Honda, Isuzu, Kia, Porsche and Toyota- Licensed to Practice in Michigan, California, and Texas.Recognition:Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Rating; Named a California SuperLawyer® for Products Defense, Civil Litigation Defense, and Class Action Mass Torts each year from 20••••18; Part of team that resulted in Dykema receiving the ABA Death Penalty Project Law Firm of the Year Award 2011; Detroit Bar Association Barrister of the Year, 19••••91.
Skills
- Management
- Employment Law
- Personal Injury
- Corporate Governance
- Class Actions
- Mediation
- Trials
- Litigation
- Trade Secrets
- Civil Litigation
- Corporate Law
- Intellectual Property
- Leadership
- Commercial Litigation
- Legal Writing
- Liability
- Arbitration
- Joint Ventures
- Product Liability
- Legal Research
- Automotive
- Appeals
- Courts
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